Thermally controlled shipping containers typically employ panels filled with a phase change material (PCM panels) for achieving prolonged thermal control of the thermally insulated payload retention chamber at or near the phase change temperature of the PCM.
Prior to deployment in a shipping container, PCM panels must be thermally conditioned meaning the PCM panels must be frozen, typically by placement in a freezer maintained at a temperature well below the freezing point of the PCM, and then thermally dampened to a temperature proximate the melt temperature of the PCM, typically by placement in a refrigerator maintained at a temperature slightly above the melt temperature of the PCM. Thermal damping is necessary as many of the thermally labile payloads shipped with such containers need to be maintained within a temperature range as they are susceptible to thermal degradation if exposed to temperatures that are either too cold or too hot. Failure to thermally dampen the frozen PCM panels before they are deployed in a shipping container can result in a payload retention chamber cooled below the desired temperature range.
It is also important to avoid excessive thermal damping of the PCM panels as it results in premature phase change of the PCM and concomitant loss of thermal value.
Accordingly, a substantial need exists for a logistics system and method for optimizing the thermal conditioning of PCM panels throughout the freeze and thermal dampening process.